The history of Frederiksværk - Frederiksværk is located in northern Zealand, on the narrow stretch of land between Denmark’s largest lake, Arresø and Roskilde Fjord.

Frederiksværk is located in northern Zealand, on the narrow stretch of land between Denmark’s largest lake, Arresø and Roskilde Fjord. In the 1717-19, on what was just bare land haunted by sandy winds, a canal was dug to secure sufficient outlet for the Arresø Lake and at the same time one of the best supplies of water power in Denmark was created.

Compared with most other Danish towns, which have a recorded history of a thousand years, Frederiksværk is young. Nevertheless, it boasts a remarkable history: along the lines of well-known English factory villages such as Coalbrookdale, New Lanark and Saltaire. It is a planned town with industry as its essence. Once Frederiksværk housed the national armament industry and was the greatest supplier of military equipment to the Royal Danish Marine and Army.

In the 1720’s an agate grinding mill was built at the eastern part of the canal, close to the lake. In 1751 the French engineer and blacksmith Etienne Peyrembert was summoned to produce cannons from wrought iron, an adventure that proved extremely expensive and left Peyrembert with an enormous debt to the Danish state – and no useful cannons. At that time Frederiksværk was still barely a town, consisting only of a few industrial buildings, workshops and a scattering of dwellings.

The real breakthrough was made by the general J.F. Classen, who first in collaboration with a partner and then on his own created a prosperous industrial society. In the centre was the enormous casting house, Gjethuset (from the German giessen, casting) and around this a large number of dwellings, often in combination with workshops. A new canal and an extensive powder works with a number of mills and other buildings were built. J.F. Classen created a plan for the whole area, planting trees, constructing roads etc.

Later, Frederiksværk continued as a more traditional industrial town with extensive iron works. In 1868 the iron manufacturer Anker Hegaard enlarged the production complex and produced loco mobiles, steam engines and glazed pots and pans in large numbers. The first Danish-built steam engine was constructed in the Frederiksværk workshops in 1828 for use at the relatively new copper-rolling works, which was originally founded by an English engineer, Th. English.

In 1940, The Danish Steel Works – Det danske Stålvalseværk - was built on an artificial island in the Fjord and Frederiksværk became the only Danish town of true modern heavy industry. It was the only steel works in Denmark handling scrap metal and supplying the Danish Industry with rolled steel, especially for shipbuilding. It also had market shares of more than 50% for other products. The old industrial city now has a population of around 15.000 people, and it celebrated 250th anniversary I 2006.

fonte: @edisonmariotti #edisonmariotti http://indmus.dk/